JOY can quickly turn to disappointment for any cyclist but for Mark Cassidy it was heart rending yesterday when a crash on the outskirts of Limerick City stripped him of the yellow jersey and put his FBD Insurance Rás hopes on hold for another year.

CIARAN POWER (Pezula Racing) put his hallmark on a spectacular weekend when he won the final stage of the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan, to copperfasten his overall victory in blustery conditions at Killorglin yesterday.

CIARAN POWER (Pezula Racing) strengthened his grip on the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan when he won a three-man sprint into Waterville to take yesterday’s gruelling South Kerry Climbs. His victory highlights his disgust with having been denied a Sports Council Grant this year and Cycling Ireland’s refusal to put forward an appeal on his behalf.